


Flight of the Stars

by orgaziam



Series: Favorite Songs [2]
Category: One Direction (Band), liam payne - Fandom, zayn malik - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dirty Talk, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Mile High Club, Oneshot, Rich Liam, Smut, Uni Student Zayn, because i can never have a ziam fic without louis somehow meddling, handjobs, that’s really it idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-13 17:47:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18035990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orgaziam/pseuds/orgaziam
Summary: It's not often that Liam is flying on a plane that isn't his private jet, as pretentious as that sounds. And when he is flying on a plane, he's definitely not in anything but first class.But Liam has also never seen a boy as gorgeous as this one, so he guesses there's a first time for everything.{~}Or, the airplane AU where it's Zayn's first time on an airplane, and he can't say he was planning on joining the Mile High Club so soon.





	Flight of the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Title and lyrics are from Zayn's song Flight of the Stars

_I go where you go,  
Go through Armageddon_

 

"You'll be fine," Louis assures him for the fourth time that day, but his best friend's words do nothing to calm his nerves. "It's really not that bad. It's a little shaky before it takes off, but after that it just feels like you're sitting in one place for three hours."

 

Zayn scoffs, hoisting his carry-on bag further up his shoulder as they walk through the long tunnel navigating them to their plane. He can feel a slight breeze pulsing against his skin, the vibrations from the plane's engines ringing the platform beneath his feet as he gets closer and closer to the aircraft. 

"Doesn't make it any less terrifying that we'll be hundreds of feet above the ground," Zayn says, glaring at a few other passengers who also appear relatively calm at the thought of getting inside this contraption. Honestly, if it weren't for Louis and his parents practically forcing him to go on this trip with his university to study abroad for a month, telling him he needs to step out of his comfort zone and explore the world more, he'd never have even stepped foot into this thing. Let alone _pay_ to step into this contraption. If anything, he prefers to just stick to his little road trips around England as far as travelling goes.

 

Louis laughs, "Hundreds? Nah, babes, it'll at least be thousands of miles up above the ground," he says casually, as if it'll help to ease his nerves. "Besides, it'll be well worth it when we're lounging in Ibiza and drinking martinis on the beach."

 

Zayn rolls his eyes, finally reaching the plane and lining up behind a few other passengers waiting to climb on, "First off, we're going to Madrid, not Ibiza. Second, we'll be studying half the time so it doesn't matter. And I don't drink."

 

"There's nothing wrong with taking a little detour," Louis says, stepping into the plane when it's his turn and handing his boarding pass to the flight attendant, who points him in the direction of his seat with a practiced smile, "I'm sure no one will notice if we end up in Barcelona or Lisbon."

 

"Lisbon is in Portugal," Zayn corrects, earning a dismissive eye roll from Louis, before handing his own boarding pass to the same flight attendant. She smiles kindly at Zayn, which helps slightly calm his nerves, and she points him down the opposite aisle.

 

And this is where the two part ways. 

 

They weren't lucky enough to find seats on the plane next to one another, but Zayn figures it's for the best. He doesn't think he would be able to tolerate Louis the entire three hour flight. The boy has no qualms about respecting people's personal space. He just hopes the person seated next to him won't have terrible hygiene or make him question his sanity anymore than Louis already has today. 

 

And at least this way, he can at least try and take a nap for the whole plane ride without Louis' obnoxious self waking him up to entertain him every so often.

 

Though he has a feeling with how nervous he's feeling, he's too restless to take a nap. Which is a big thing for Zayn, who can fall asleep pretty much anywhere at any time.

 

"Oh, forgot to mention," Louis says before they part, grabbing Zayn's attention from his own thoughts, "Make sure you're strapped in during takeoff. The pilots always do a loopty-loop before they start."

 

And with that, the blue eyed boy winks and is off to his seat, leaving Zayn stunned and even more nervous than he was before. He rushes to his seat when he realizes he's blocking the aisle for other passengers to walk through, though what he really wishes he could do is run out of the plane and never come back.

 

Strangling Louis Tomlinson doesn't sound like a bad idea, either, actually.

 

 

 

 

 

{~}

 

 

_Hold you close,  
standing on the edge of no tomorrow_

 

 

It's not often that Liam is flying on a plane that isn't his private jet, as pretentious as that sounds. And when he is flying on a plane, he's definitely not in anything but first class. 

 

But Liam has also never seen a boy as gorgeous as this one, so he guesses there's a first time for everything.

 

His sunglasses are perched on his face despite him being inside the airplane and the nighttime sky outside, so he knows he won't get caught staring at the approaching figure. He watches from his window seat as the boy stumbles down the aisle towards Liam's row.

 

It's just that, Liam has seen a lot of people, and none have grabbed his attention so quickly, especially without even trying.

 

_I've been feeling like  
I deserve somebody_

 

The closer the other figure gets, the more he's able to make out different details of his face and body. Smooth, tan flesh covers every exposed bit of skin he sees, raven hair falling over the boy's face like a curtain and grazing against high, sharp cheekbones. His deep brown eyes are framed by thick brows furrowed together in concentration as he reads off the aisle numbers, comparing them to the number on the boarding pass in his hand, before he comes to a halt right before Liam's row. 

 

Liam follows the boy's gaze to where he's suddenly eyeing the overhead bins in concentration. His sharp jaw is set in frustration, a sharp contrast to the softness his eyes hold as delicate fingers wrap around the carry-on bag perched on his shoulder, struggling to hoist the offending baggage into the overhead bins.

 

Liam's on his feet before he knows it, shortening the already small distance between him and the beautiful boy. He reaches out an arm, maneuvering it underneath the black bag and supporting a majority of its weight as the shorter boy attempts to hoist it into the compartment once again. He succeeds this time, unbeknownst to him that he had some added support from a stranger since the large baggage blocked his view of Liam.

 

When he finally seems to notice Liam and realizes the reason the bag felt lighter the second time he tried to lift it was due to the other man's help, he blushes. Liam finds himself entranced in the way the boy's cheeks tinge red, lips upturned in a sheepish smile. His own lips turn up at the corners, finding amusement in the other boy's contagious smile. 

 

"Thank you," the boy says, his melodic voice sounding incredibly angelic to Liam's ears. 

 

He's grateful for the sunglasses still perched on his nose, or he's sure he's look like a creep just taking in all of the details in the boy's face (though it's possible he looks like even more of an idiot for having them on in the first place).

 

_And you burn so bright  
you could blind somebody _

 

He's taken aback when he hears a throat clear, and the golden-eyed boy startles too, their eyes flickering to the line of people waiting to walk past them in the narrow aisle. 

 

Liam quickly ushers the boy to sit down with a hand on his back, even allowing him to take the window seat that was originally Liam's. He takes the remaining aisle seat, smiling apologetically at the passengers looking for their own seats, but his attention is thrown back to the beautiful boy to his left when he hears a throat clear.

 

"Why are you wearing those?" the boy asks, his head tilting to the side. His teeth bite down into his soft, plump lips, and Liam wants nothing more than to take them between his own until they're left red and bruised.

 

He almost forgets he was asked the question and was just staring creepily at the stranger when the boy raises an expectant eyebrow at him, clearly put off by his silence.

 

"Sorry," he says immediately, rushing to the take the offensive glasses off of his face. The boy's eyes widen a little, teeth still toying with his bottom lip as his eyes flutter around Liam's face, taking in all of his features. "Was a little hung over earlier so I put them on to avoid the bright lights of the airport, though I guess I don't really need them now, huh?"

 

_You go following flights to the stars,  
and these cars can get us home_

 

The boy lets out a little laugh, one that sounds incredibly angelic and makes Liam want to say more ridiculous things just to hear it again and again.

 

"Nah, I guess you don't," he says softly, before turning to gaze out the small window to his right. There's not much to see, as they're still stationed on the ground, not having yet taken off, but he still looks oddly intrigued by the sight before him.

 

Liam admires the boy's side profile, the way his hair sweeps over his delicate cheekbones and his plush lips protrude out from his face in a small pout. A tiny eye freckle frames his left eye, and long eyelashes sweep over the boy's cheeks when he blinks slowly. He looks enchanting, and Liam briefly wonders if the boy knows the effect he has on people.

 

Liam wants to wreck him.

 

"Have you ever been on one of these before?" the boy asks him suddenly, turning around quickly to focus his attention back on Liam.

 

Liam lets out a soft laugh, taking a small break from admiring the boy's face to look down at his hands.

 

"Way too often," he says, looking back up to find the boy gazing at him curiously, eyes soft.

 

"That's terrible," the boy says with a frown.

 

Liam tilts his head questioningly, "Doesn't have to be. There's much more to the world than just England, and it's nice to be able to see it all within your lifetime."

 

The boy nods slowly, though his lips are still pointed downward in a frown.

 

"Not a big fan of this whole thing though," he says, making a wide gesture with his arm towards the rows and rows of seats around them.

 

Liam tilts his head, "Have you never been on one before?" he knows the answer without having to hear it, can sense the boy's fearfulness by the way his eyes shine almost anxiously, even as the routine safety videos start playing and the seatbelt light turns on, indicating that they're about to take off soon.

 

The boy shakes his head, and Liam frowns.

 

"And you're on this thing alone?" he asks. He can't remember his first flight, knows it had to have been early in his life on some routine family vacation, but he doesn't know if it's safe for someone to be travelling alone their first time on a plane, especially if they're this anxious about it.

 

The boy shakes his head though, before he responds, "I'm studying in Spain for a month in a program at my uni. I came with me best mate Louis, but we bought our tickets too late and couldn't get seats together."

 

"That's unfortunate," is all Liam says, wincing internally at his harsh choice of words. If it were anyone else, he probably would've offered to give up his seat and trade with the boy's best friend, just to allow the boy to have some comfort from a familiar friend during his first trip on a plane. But for some reason he can't bring himself to do that, can't bring himself to part with the beautiful boy.

 

He knows he'll have to eventually, knows that after the three hour flight is over he has to move on with his life and will likely never see the boy again, but he can't bring himself to give that up. There's just something about him that has Liam wanting to wipe the frown off of his face, to hear his soft laugh again, to give him the entire world if he could. It's a little terrifying, how much the boy has managed to grab his attention in such a way that has never happened to him before, how he makes Liam want to drop all of his plans on this business trip just to stay by his side the entire time.

It's a ridiculous thought, but.

 

He would, is the thing.

 

_All I ever wanted,  
it's in front of me_

 

"It's not so bad," Liam says, his arm coming out on instinct to rub at the boy's stiff shoulder. The amber eyed boy softens into the touch slightly, though the nervousness is still obvious on his face.

 

"Would it help if I distracted you?" he asks, which makes the boy gaze at him curiously.

 

"How would you do that?"

 

Liam shrugs, "Well, you could tell me about yourself."

 

The boy laughs, leaning into the press of Liam's hand against the flesh of his arm. Liam swears he can see a bit of suggestiveness in the boy's facial expression, but when he blinks it's gone, "I don't see how me talking about myself could be a distraction, but I guess if we're gonna sit next to each other this whole flight we might as well."

 

Liam bites back the 'well, we don't have to' ready to slip from his tongue, because he wants to. He wants to get to know the other boy, wants to know his story. He wants to know every little detail about him, about all of his interests and habits. Where he's from, his childhood stories, his hobbies. Knows that there's more to the boy by the tattoos peeking out beneath the soft fabric of his tee and the way his eyes are bright with curiosity.

 

He wants to know how to get under the boy's skin, wants to know how his soft skin would feel beneath his finger tips, how the olive-toned flesh would look against Liam's silk bed sheets back at his penthouse. Wants to know how to tear him apart with just his lips and put him back together again. 

 

Wants to know if he would stay the night, if he would fold himself against Liam's chest like he belongs there, if he would use Liam's body wash when he takes a shower the morning after. If he would let Liam take him out to the finest restaurants in England, if he would risk the fear of flying again just for Liam, let Liam take him to every tourist attraction they can name even though the real sight to see would be the boy himself.

 

All that, he wants with this boy, and he doesn't even know his name.

 

"I don't even know your name," he says sheepishly, and the boy looks taken aback by the words as well, having not expected that to be Liam's response.

 

"I guess you don't," is all the boy says, his lips curling upward at the corners, his eyes glinting almost teasingly. 

 

Liam gawks at him.

 

"You're really not gonna tell me?" he asks, laying a hand on his chest in mock offense.

 

"Dunno mate, what if I land and find a friend request from you on Facebook or something? Can't just go around giving my name out to every lad I meet," the onyx-haired boy says, though the tone of his voice makes it clear that he's just joking with Liam.

 

"I guess that would be quite unfortunate, huh, if you and I were friends on Facebook," Liam says, tsking and shaking his head at the boy across from him. "Can't have that can we?"

 

"Not at all," the boy says softly, and Liam has to try his hardest not to stare at the boy too fondly when he smiles goofily at Liam.

 

The plane starts moving down the runway track slowly, the flight attendants making sure all of the passengers are safely tucked into their seats with their seatbelts on, neither of them thinking much of it as they're lost in their own world.

 

It's a long while later, when the two boys are barely able to hold back their fond gazes and laughter about their childhood antics and shared embarrassment from their respective sisters, that they realize the plane has finally taken off from the runway and is experiencing its first bout of turbulence. The lights lining the inside walls of the plane have been long turned off, since their flight is at a later hour than usual and most of the passengers are hoping to sleep, but the turbulence is enough to have a few of the passengers suddenly alert, especially the one to Liam's right.

 

It's nothing short of familiar for Liam, the way the plane starts to shift a little, but he can see the way the other boy's expression changes almost immediately, the way his gaze instantly flickers over to the opened window to his right and he's wincing his eyes shut. His small frame is shaking in his seat, hands clenching into fists in his lap, and Liam is reaching over to grasp the boy's hands in his own on instinct.

 

"Hey, it's okay," Liam says softly, trying to calm down the boy. "It's really not that bad, just a little rough at first, but the pilot knows what he's doing."

 

The boy cracks open his left eye and peers at Liam doubtfully, "When is it gonna happen?"

 

"When is what gonna happen?" Liam asks slowly, doing his best to remain calm so that the other boy can hopefully start to ease up again.

 

"The loopty-loop," the boy says, as if it's obvious and Liam, what--?

 

"The what?" Liam asks, voicing his confusion. "I don't understand."

 

The boy takes a quick breath, but he opens both eyes to look at Liam so Liam considers it progress. "The loopty-loop," he repeats. "My mate Louis said planes do a loopty-loop when they first take off."

 

Liam can't help but let out a breath of laughter at the words, apologizing quickly when it makes the boy frown at him, "Sorry, it's just-- what? Your mate's obviously fucking with you."

 

The boy frowns impossibly harder at that, "What do you mean?"

 

"Love," Liam says, unable to stop the word of endearment from coming out before it's too late, "That's not real. Planes don't actually do that."

 

The boy hesitates, his fists softening and unclenching under Liam's hold, "They don't?"

 

Liam laughs softly, "None of the ones I've been on, at least. And that's quite a few."

 

The boy's cheeks tinge pink, clearly embarrassed. A soft "oh" leaves his lips, before his teeth are digging into his lower lip again. It's definitely one of the boy's nervous habits, Liam can tell with how often he's done it since he's met him.

 

Which wasn't that long ago, he's reminded, because despite not even knowing the boy's name, he feels so in tune with him already, like he's know him his whole life. They already have a shared affinity for tattoos, have briefly discussed their shared love of comics before the plane's turbulence had interrupted, and he knows he's not imagining their chemistry together. Knows he didn't imagine the way the boy's eyes focused on his face all throughout their conversation, knows there was definitely some lust in the other boy's gaze, with the way he looked away almost sheepishly as if being caught when Liam smirked at him.

 

And he doesn't know where he gets the surge of confidence from, but he figures he's got less than three hours to make this flight worthwhile, and if he's been blessed with this opportunity, he might as well try something, right?

 

"How about I try distracting you again?" he says, leaning forward to whisper the words in the boy's ear. He knows the plane's loud engine masks his words from any prying ears, but his words sound more intimate this way. 

 

The boy's frame shutters slightly, his head leaning back slightly to peer up at Liam thoughtfully, a pink tongue coming out to lick at a bruised lower lip.

 

_This could be the end of me,  
the end of me_

 

"And how would you do that?" the boy asks softly, his lips tilting up at one corner into a sly smirk.

 

Liam can't help but be a little surprised, hadn't expected the boy to be so quick to agree, but he's not complaining.

 

Definitely not.

 

"I think I've got a couple ideas," Liam says, letting his gaze drift from the boy's dilated pupils and down his slim frame, taking in the way the boy's tee drifts over his shoulders, the collar of it exposing wings inked onto his collarbones, tight jeans hugging onto slim thighs he could wrap his entire hand around.

 

He leans further into the boy's space, until his lips are hovering slightly over the shell of his ear. When he breathes in he can smell hints of tobacco and citrus, and he can practically feel the body heat radiating off of the other boy.

 

"Maybe you could show me those tattoos you told me about, the ones under here," he says softly, letting go of the hand still curled in his own to slip beneath the thin fabric of his shirt. 

 

He trails his hand up the boy's abdomen slowly before he lets it rest right above his belly button. The boy leans impossibly closer to him, letting out an almost shaky breath at the cold hand resting firmly against his skin.

 

"That's all you're brave enough to do?" the boy asks him teasingly.

 

Liam raises an eyebrow at the challenging tone. He leans even closer, until he can grasp the boy's earlobe between his teeth, letting his tongue roll over the piercing there until he hears another shaky breath leave the boy's lips.

 

"Oh, I'm brave enough to do a lot of things," he says, the words a promise.

 

"Yeah?" the boy says, the gold in his eyes restricted by the darkness of his dilated pupils.

 

"Hell yeah," Liam mutters, tilting his head just enough for the plump red lips that have been at the forefront of his mind this entire plane ride to lock with his own. He feels the boy hum softly, their lips intertwining. A hand comes up to cup Liam's jaw, and Liam's own hand comes to hold onto the boy's waist.

 

The plane is hit with another bout of turbulence, and Liam barely registers it if not for the way a hand suddenly tightens around his shirt, fisting into the soft material and pulling him impossibly closer to the warm body in his arms.

 

He pulls away from the other boy, who tries to chase his lips before realizing Liam is pulling away.

 

He rests his forehead against the other boy's, waiting for him to open his beautiful eyes again.

 

_Fingertips touch,  
all I want your body_

 

"What's your name?" he asks the boy, repeating his question from earlier. The boy slowly opens his eyes at Liam, curious as to why the kissing has suddenly stopped, before the words finally register.

 

"Zayn," the word rolls off the boy's tongue elegantly, and Liam repeats it softly.

 

"Zayn," he says, "I'm going to absolutely wreck you, Zayn."

 

The boy whimpers softly, the hand resting on Liam's cheek coming down to fist into his shirt alongside the other one and pull him back into a kiss, their lips fitting together instantly.

 

Liam lets his hand wander beneath the boy's loose shirt, moving it upward to graze over his sharp collarbones. He reaches one hand behind him to grab the complimentary flight blanket that a flight attendant offered him earlier. He slips it from its plastic cover and lays it over his and Zayn's body, wanting to obscure anyone else's view of them.

 

He thumbs over the boy's right nipple, smirking slightly into the kiss at the soft groan the boy let's out into the kiss.

 

He hushes him softly, "gotta be quiet if we're gonna do this," he says, letting his thumb circle over the bud until it turns hard in his grasp. He moves onto the left one when he's satisfied with his ministrations, giving it the same attention. 

 

He breaks away from the kiss when Zayn lets out a soft breath and shudders in his arms, instead letting his lips press against the boy's neck, nipping and sucking at the soft skin there until it blooms red under the touch.

 

Zayn's teeth return to his bottom lip as an attempt to stay silent, and Liam's grateful for the loudness of the engine and the lights inside the plane being off or else he's sure they'd have been caught by now.

 

Liam maneuvers him until he's able to take the boy's shirt off, reaching down to unbutton his jeans and pull down his zipper. He takes a minute to admire the art that inks the boy's chest, wants to mark it with his own lips until he looks absolutely wrecked, wants to feel every bit of the boy's flesh beneath his fingertips. 

 

He places a kiss to the lipstick tattoo in the middle of the boy's sternum, letting the hand he has on the boy's chest slide downward until he can slip it under the boy's pants and around his prick.

 

Zayn shudders, having not expected the touch. Liam's own cock is straining in his tight jeans, and he regrets wearing the uncomfortable article of clothing on his flight, but he's too focused on the way Zayn is falling apart just by the hand wrapped around his cock.

 

He grazes his thumb over the lead, let's it drag over the precum there and using it to lubricate the boy's cock. Zayn's hands stay fisted in his shirt, his lips reaching up to tangle against Liam's own, and who is Liam to deny him a kiss?

 

"Being so good f'me," Liam says into the kiss, "Being all quiet and pliant."

 

Zayn shudders, prompting him to continue.

 

"I bet you'd let me take my time with you. Bet you'd let me have you any way I wanted, let me take you into the dirty airplane bathroom and bend you over the sink if I wanted, huh? Bet you would bite down on that pretty little lip of yours just in case anyone could hear us."

 

Zayn doesn't respond, just pulls away from the kiss with a soft breath and leans his head against Liam's shoulder, overwhelmed by the dirty talk. Liam keeps his hand firmly wrapped around the boy's cock, slowing down slightly just to tease the other boy. He cups the boy's balls with his fingers, relishing in the soft breathes and moans that leave the other boy's lips, before curling his palm back around the boy's length.

 

_As long as you're feeling the flames,  
I--_

 

"Liam," he says to the other boy, making the other boy look at him curiously.

 

"My name's Liam," he explains, "Want to hear you say it. Bet you'd sound so pretty saying it. Probably scream it loud enough for everyone here to wake up and hear it if I had my way with you."

 

Zayn lets out a soft moan, his lips repeating the name like it's the only word he knows.

 

"Liam, Liam, please don't stop, gonna--"

 

"Yeah?" Liam goads, "Gonna come? Gonna coat my fingers with it? Gonna give me a taste?"

 

The boy shudders at the words, letting out one last soft 'Liam' before he's coating Liam's hand with his come. Liam keeps his eyes trained on the boy's face, takes in the way his long eyelashes fan over his face and the way his lips shape into a soft "o" shape as he comes down from the high.

 

Liam takes his hand out of the other boy's pants, zipping it back up and popping the button back in place before he's wiping his hand on the thin blanket covering them. He places one last kiss to the boy's cheek, who looks at him almost gratefully under half-lidded eyes.

 

He looks like he's ready to fall asleep, and Liam can't help the fondness that runs through him at the thought.

 

"Get some rest," he says quietly, using the unused blanket Zayn tucked under his seat earlier to cover the boy's frame. "I'll wake you up when we're about to land," he says.

 

Zayn smiles at him gratefully, tucking his head into the crook of Liam's neck, his eyes fluttering closed before Liam can say anything else.

 

Liam can't help but look at him fondly before laying his own head on top of Zayn's. He doesn't end up falling asleep, just focuses on the other boy's soft breathing and wonders why this whole situation isn't turning out as awkward as it probably should be considering their circumstances.

 

 

_I'll follow you into the flames,  
as long as you're feeling the same_

 

{~}

 

 

When the two of them part ways, it's with nothing but happy giggles and sheepish grins.

 

Zayn expected things to be a lot more awkward, considering they both just met, and not to mention they had what could possibly be considered a one night stand? But Liam was nothing but fond when Zayn had asked for his number, a quiet promise to one day see him again.

 

They really had hit it off, and he's almost sad that the flight was so short or that he spent a majority of it sleeping, which he never thought he would say considering how terrified he originally was at having to board it.

 

When the plane landed and the passengers started clapping, he felt incredibly relieved, having woken up the second the plane started shifting downward. He would've panicked if not for the way a firm hand wrapped around his underneath the thin blanket thrown over his frame and the soft smile that grounded him amidst his panic.

 

_Still deep in us,  
get that rush_

 

Liam had helped him get his bag down from the overhead compartment and had walked with Zayn until they had reached the buses to take them from the aircraft to the rest of the airport. They had parted ways after that, with a promise to call one another at a more reasonable time of the day considering it was 4 in the morning in Madrid and they both needed sleep. Zayn was now waiting for Louis to show up, standing idly around while passengers got off of the second bus and rushed past him, likely in a rush to get to their connecting flights.

 

He really would like to see Liam again, he thinks, would love to learn more about the mysterious man that left him completely undone in just a matter of hours.

 

"What's got you all cheery?" A clipped voice says to his right, and Zayn initially jumps at the loud voice next to him, but relaxes at the familiar sight of his best mate. His eyes focus on Louis, who looks nothing short of irritated.

 

"Nothing," he mutters, not yet wanting to tell Louis about his flight experience. He wouldn't even know where to start, and he's not sure he's ready for any of Louis' teasing at this hour especially. "What's got you so prissy?"

 

Louis frowns, beginning to walk towards the exit of the airport and motioning for Zayn to come with him.

 

"The amount of turbulence was ridiculous, could barely even get some sleep in," the boy says, his voice sounding pinched in annoyance. "Plus some couple a few rows down were making so much noise. Didn't even have the decency to take it to the plane's bathroom like any other person would."

 

Zayn feels his cheeks heat up at that, choosing not to comment as he shoves Louis with his shoulder, "Serves you right for lying to me about that loopty-loop, had me scared shitless you fucker."

 

The words bring a smirk to Louis' lips, "Wouldn't be your best mate if I didn't keep you on your toes, now, would I?"

 

Zayn rolls his eyes, chooses not to comment on that. 

 

He and Louis eventually grab a taxi from their airport to their rented airbnb, one close to the center of the city and near their university campus. When he walks into the main room of the apartment, he immediately shrugs out of his clothes and heads for the shower, grimacing at the dried sweat and come still stuck to his skin. When he's done, Louis' already asleep on one of the tiny twin beds, still wearing his clothes and shoes from the airplane. Zayn smiles fondly and takes the boy's shoes off his feet, peeling the boy's denim trousers off of his legs and tucking him in under the duvet.

 

He brushes his teeth before reaching for the phone on the nightstand to turn off his alarm. They don't have plans for their first day, so Zayn figures it's safe for them to sleep in, but when he turns on his phone he's surprised to see a text from the new addition to his contacts.

_**Sweat dreams, Zayn** _

 

His fingers tap over the screen as he types the sentiment back, a small smile finding its way to his lips as he presses 'send' and puts the phone back onto the nightstand. It doesn't take long for him to sleep after that, dreaming of brown eyes and flights in the stars.

 

 

_There's no goodbyes, only us  
so I will follow_

 

 

{~}

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly can't tell if I'm just super hypercritical of my writing or if this actually sucks, but this was actually an idea I've had for such an incredibly long time, and when I finally wrote it I had no plans on posting it until now. I'm not exactly proud of this, but I figure it's better that some of you can at least read it than if I just spent all my energy writing something no one ever reads.
> 
> As always, all kudos and comments are very much appreciated.
> 
>  
> 
> (But if you have any negative things to say, I can't promise they'll be appreciated)


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